Shrimp Paste

Shrimp paste or shrimp sauce is made from fermented ground shrimp mixed with salt. In Thailand, shrimp paste is an essential ingredient in many types of nam phrik, spicy dips or sauces, and in all Thai curry pastes, such as the paste used in kaeng som. 

In southern Thailand there are three types of shrimp paste: one made only from shrimp, one containing a mixture of shrimp and fish ingredients, and another paste that is sweet.